Philanthropists, champions of social responsibility lead 2020 honours list in DHL-SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards

Tan Siu-lin, founder of the Luen Thai Group of companies and one of Hong Kong’s best-known philanthropists, topped the 2020 honours list
New World Development’s Adrian Cheng received the Business Person of the Year Award, while Chow Tai Fook Jewellery’s Kent Wong received the Enterprise Award

DHL-SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards

SCMP Reporter

Published: 9:30am, 16 Dec 2020

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Tan Siu-lin, founder of the Luen Thai Group of company and one of Hong Kong’s best-known philanthropists, has been honoured for a lifetime of contributions to industry and his charitable donations by the city’s oldest and most prestigious business awards.

Tan, 89, received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the top of the honours list in the 2020 DHL-SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards, the 31st year that the accolades were given to the city’s captains of industry. Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, the chief executive and executive vice-chairman of New World Development, received the Business Person of the Year award.

The awards came in a year of unprecedented contraction in Hong Kong’s economy, as the coronavirus pandemic followed last year’s anti-government protests and almost two years of the US-China trade war. Amid slumping corporate earnings and record unemployment in a recession, the awards’ panel of judges - including winners of the previous year - shifted the weight of their adjudication to emphasise corporate social responsibility, from the usual financial indicators, in recognition of businesses that have gone the extra mile to care for their staff or give back to society amid hard times.

“These champions have gone beyond conventional business goals to uplift staff and stakeholders, and to address the fault lines exposed by the challenging environment, so we celebrate these exemplary citizens for leveraging their businesses to serve community needs and give back to society during the recession,” said Gary Liu, chief executive of South China Morning Post, one of the award’s two organisers. “They have put on display the tenacity, grit and innovation that defines Hong Kong, and time and again helped this city turn crisis into opportunity.”

Source: Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department, SCMP Graphics

The Lifetime Achievement Award is a discretionary honour that is given only to exceptional nominees through unanimous acclamation, unlike the other award categories that are decided by simple majority in voting. Previous Lifetime Achievement honours were awarded to Victor Fung of the Fung Group in 2019, Lee Man Tat of the Lee Kam Kee Group in 2018, L.T. Lam of Forward Winsome Industries in 2017 and James Thompson of Crown Worldwide in 2014.

“Each of the awardees has exemplified the defining characteristics of what makes Hong Kong world-class – adaptive, resilient, innovative and industrious. They serve as icons that demonstrate business acumen amid the most turbulent times,” said Ng Chee Choong, managing director for Hong Kong and Macau at DHL Express Hong Kong Limited.

New World’s Cheng was honoured for his leadership role in corporate social responsibility and sustainability, including the September 2019 donation of almost 20 per cent of the developer’s farmland reserves towards public housing in Hong Kong.

Kent Wong of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group received the Executive Award for outstanding managerial contribution to the financial success, reputation and branding of the world’s second-largest jewellery chain, also part of the New World group of companies.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the world’s biggest charity donors, received the International Award for its overseas expansion and its fostering of sports to wean the youth from electronic devices and screens.

Source: Census and Statistics Department Arts, SCMP Graphics

Hong Kong Broadband Network (HKBN) received the Enterprise Award for its steady growth, market development, business performance and commercial success amid tough times in Hong Kong.

Central Smile Limited, which operates a dental and orthodontist clinic in the city, received the SME Award that honours small and medium enterprises.

Airwallex Limited received the Startup Award for excellence in developing and commercialising its low-cost and fast international collections and payments service between businesses.

The 2020 awards will be conducted entirely online. The annual black-tie dinner that usually accompanies the honours was cancelled for the second year, this time to comply with social-distancing rules to contain the fourth wave of the city’s coronavirus outbreak.

The 2019 award ceremony and the gala dinner were both cancelled over safety concerns amid anti-government protests in the city.

Last year’s honours list was topped by the Fung Group’s Honorary Chairman Victor Fung, a tireless advocate of globalisation and US-China dialogue, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Charles Li Xiaojia, the outgoing chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), was honoured as the Businessperson of the Year, for driving the listing reforms that made the city the world’s top destination for initial public offerings in seven of the past 11 years.

Fred Lam, chief executive of the Hong Kong Airport Authority (HKAA) received the 2019 Executive Award for his stewardship of one of Asia’s largest aviation hubs, including the legal injunction that shielded the airfield from being disrupted by anti-government protests last year. Shangri-La Group, operator of one of Asia’s best-known hotel chains, received the International Award for enhancing Hong Kong’s reputation through its worldwide success. Xinyi Glass Holdings Limited received the Enterprise Award.

Tencent Holdings, China’s largest mobile games publisher, received the China Company Award before the honours category was suspended. The SME Award was given to hpa, a partnership of architects and engineers, while the Startup Award went to Phase Scientific International, a Hong Kong-based biotech company and producer of coronavirus test kits backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.